1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and a captured image recording method for use to record, on a recording medium, moving images captured using a solid-state imaging device as stream data and, more specifically, to an imaging apparatus and a captured image recording method in a mode of encoding image data with a unit of an image group being a sequence of images of a predetermined number of frames.
2. Description of the Related Art
The recent imaging apparatus gaining rapid popularity, i.e., digital video camera, is of a type that captures moving images using a solid-state element, and records the moving images as digital data. The digital video camera of a previous type has often used a magnetic tape as a recording medium, and recorded moving images with DV (Digital Video) encoding. On the other hand, the digital video camera of a recent type performs recording with MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group). Such a digital video camera with MPEG often uses a recording medium not only being a magnetic tape but also being an optical disk such as DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) and HDD (Hard Disk Drive), for example. Patent Document 1 (JP-A-2005-79823, paragraphs 0113 to 0120, and FIG. 16) describes an exemplary imaging apparatus using a DVD as a recording medium. At the time of DVD finalization, based on chapter information about any recorded moving image data, the imaging apparatus generates a top menu including a display area for reproduction of the respective chapters so that the user convenience is accordingly increased.
Image data being an MPEG encoding result is configured to include an I picture, a P picture, and a B picture. The I picture is an intra-frame encoded image, and the P picture is subjected to predictive encoding using an image preceding thereto. The B picture is subjected to predictive encoding using images preceding and subsequent thereto. With MPEG, such intra-frame predictive encoding is accordingly increasing the compression efficiency. With MPEG-2, a GOP (Group Of Pictures) unit is defined, which includes a plurality of pictures. A GOP at least includes one I picture, and this eases access during particular reproduction such as random access, fast forward, and fast rewind.